Lecanto residents look forward to a new Wendy’s

Mary Recta and Kyra Hornbuckle, Staff Writers – Have you ever heard “Now That’s Better”? That is the Wendy’s slogan. A new Wendy’s is being built in Lecanto, Florida.

According to their website, Wendy’s is the world’s third largest hamburger fast food chain with over 6,500 locations, and that number is about to be one higher.

The property has already been purchased and construction will begin soon, and many people around Lecanto High School (LHS) are growing more and more excited for this new Wendy’s every day, like freshman Alyana Talaroc.

“I am so excited! That means more food for me,” said Talaroc.

It is not just students who cannot wait for this new branch to be built. Teachers and administrators alike are waiting with anticipation.

“I am so excited! I’ll probably go more often than I should,” said assistant principal Kathy Androski.

This will be the fourth Wendy’s in the county, but the first one in Lecanto. As of now, there is one in Crystal River and two in Inverness.

Another reason why there is so much buzz around this new Wendy’s is its location. Now that one is being built so close to LHS and many students’ homes, more people will be able to get Wendy’s without a long drive.

“I would go whenever I can. Like after school, which is convenient. I’m on my way home from school or practice, and I get hungry,” said freshman Meredith Butler.

However, there are some people who will not be as impacted by this new Wendy’s and its location due to where they live and availability of other restaurants and franchises.

“Inverness is closer to where I live, and they have more variety,” said senior Azalea Solis.

This new Wendy’s will also benefit Lecanto’s economy in more ways than one. When popular franchises are successful, it attracts business to that area, and this could mean a raise in popularity of the small city of Lecanto. On top of that, this new Wendy’s will create more jobs, which will help stimulate the economy even further.

“Based off of our typical staff size, I would estimate 50-70 employees would be hired for that Wendy’s location,” said Lecanto McDonald’s owner operator Rachel Millan. “It will also give more work to vendors and suppliers that are involved with the construction of the Wendy’s,” Millan added.

This would bring a change in the way people eat if this new Wendy’s will bring in more business, especially fast food franchises.

“Though this will help the economy, this will mean that a lot more people will be eating fast food,” said freshman Henry Licklider.

Although Wendy’s will bring in more variety to the area, they are going to have competition with the McDonald’s across the street.

“McDonald’s menu boards have become so diverse that we have gained competitors in multiple markets. Whenever a new competitor comes into the area, we evaluate ourselves and the level of service we are giving each and every customer,” said Millan.

“I am thrilled to have another option to McDonald’s on the way home,” said Androski.

This Wendy’s is coming soon on the corner of West Norvell Bryant Highway and North Lecanto Highway.